NHTSA Chided by Watchdog for Missing Deadlines on Safety Reviews

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. agency charged with setting motor vehicle safety standards missed its mandatory deadline for conducting reviews 87.5% of the time and its engineers lack training, a watchdog report said. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration may be in “noncompliance” in many instances with federal law requiring that safety reviews be conducted within 120 days, a Transportation Department Inspector General report said Friday.

“The agency is limited in its ability to update, set and enforce” the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, one of the foundations on which it attempts to reduce highway accidents and fatalities, the report by Dave Pouliott, assistant Inspector General for surface transportation audits, said. 

NHTSA is in the process of improving its processes and has agreed to adopt all six of the recommendations by the inspector general, agency Acting Administrator Steven Cliff said in a response to the report. 

“The agency is committed to its mission of saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing the costs of roadway crashes,” Cliff said. 

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.